小(xiǎo)

HSK 13 strokes

small

Print a 小 worksheet PDFPractice writing 小

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
xiǎo
Meaning
small; tiny; few; young
Strokes
3
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 小 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿻亅八

Dividing 八 by a line 亅

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

亅jué八bā

Parts are arranged overlaid.

How to write 小 step by step

3 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Words with 小

Common words using 小 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

zhōng中xiǎo小xué学
HSK 2

middle and elementary school

Open 中小学 page →
dà大xiǎo小
HSK 2

large and small

Open 大小 page →
yī一bù不xiǎo小xīn心
HSK 7-9

to be a little bit careless; to have a moment of inattentiveness; accidentally

Open 一不小心 page →
dà大tóng同xiǎo小yì异
HSK 7-9

virtually the same

Open 大同小异 page →
dà大jiē街xiǎo小xiàng巷
HSK 7-9

great streets and small alleys (idiom); everywhere in the city

Open 大街小巷 page →
dà大jīng惊xiǎo小guài怪
HSK 7-9

to make a fuss about nothing (idiom)

Open 大惊小怪 page →
sān三xiǎo小

(Tw) (vulgar) what the hell? (from Taiwanese 啥潲, Tai-lo pr. [siánn-siâ], eq…

Open 三小 page →
zuò做xiǎo小

to be sb's concubine

Open 做小 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 小’s common words

中学大一不心同异

Ready to master 小?

Trace 小 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

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